2016 NCAA VOLLEYBALL TOURNAMENT
- Rounds 1 & 2: December 1-3
- Regional Rounds (3 & 4): December 9-10
- Semifinals & Final: December 15 and 17
- Full bracket
Day 1 Matchups
(All start times in U.S. Eastern Time)
5:00 PM – UNI vs Creighton (host: Kansas)
7:30 PM – #5 Kansas vs Samford (host: Kansas)
5:30 PM – Oregon vs Miami (OH) (host: Michigan)
7:30 PM – #12 Michigan vs American (host: Michigan)
5:30 PM – Purdue vs Iowa State (host: Missouri)
7:30 PM – #15 Missouri vs Northern Illinois (host: Missouri)
6:00 PM – Marquette vs Washington State (host: Wisconsin)
8:30 PM – #3 Wisconsin vs Howard (host: Wisconsin)
Storylines to Watch
1. Out for revenge: Two day 1 matchups are rematches of regular season battles. Michigan beat American and Creighton beat UNI earlier this year, both in 3-0 sweeps. Can the underdogs avenge those losses, or will Michigan and Creighton fall back on their winning game plans from months ago?
2. Dead Even: One of the best matchups of round 1 might be Marquette vs Washington State. The two are separated by just a few spots in the final RPI rankings of the year, with Marquette at #41 and Washington State checking in at #43.
3. Conferences Collide: Two of the better conferences in the nation go head to head in the Purdue-Iowa State pairing. The Big Ten and Big 12 combined include all five of the top-seeded teams, plus 8 of the 16 teams that earned seeds of any kind. Iowa State finished 3rd in the Big 12, right behind #4 Texas and #5 Kansas. Purdue was actually 10th in the 14-team Big Ten, but had 6 seeded teams ahead of them.
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